Neuroscience of music and musicotherapy.

The effect of music on human physiological functions is a very fruitful field of scientific study, both theoretical and empirical. The aspects of musical experience may be analysed by breaking the perceived sounds into notes and tones with complex interrelationships. The experience of music somehow goes beyond this, probably because a unified qualitative impression arises from complex sequences, such as chords, but not from randomly selected notes. This paper discusses the perceptual dimensions of hearing used to represent high-level musical features in the brain, as well as the areas of the brain and their roles in music perception and performance. Music was considered capable of restoring the balance between the soul and its faculties, thanks to its great emotive power. The relationship between the physics of sound and the psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrinologic system has been analyzed in many studies trying to investigate the methodology of the use of music, the evaluation systems, and scientific and applicative research in the field of prevention, rehabilitation, and therapeutics. A basic concept underlying the use of music as a therapeutic agent is that music can relieve stress and promote relaxation. Emotional states and pain sensitivity are also susceptible to modification through music. Facilitated by trained musical therapists, by either actively making music or listening to it, many patients can achieve significant therapeutic goals.